Favor or Favorite

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At this point, I'm not sure how this family inside joke started, but it's been sort of a running gag for years, that as a mom I certainly DO have a favorite kid . . . but it's constantly changing so that everyone gets an equal chance. I have three sons and one daughter and they have all been my favorites. There have been lots of times when I've told one of my two daughters-in-law that she is my favorite, or told my daughter's boyfriend that he's my favorite. In fact, there are any number of my kids' friends that have been elevated to being "my favorite". I have two granddaughters, and of course they are both my favorites.

I know there were times when my boys said that my girl was my favorite, and I understand how they felt. She's the only girl, and she's the youngest, and she and I shared a lot of interests and did a lot of mother-daughter things together. It must have looked to them like I was playing favorites so maybe that's how it started. 

Anyway, there was one evening when we were having family prayers before bed, and one of the boys had done something particularly helpful or sweet and I said something about him being "my favorite child right now" and we kidded around about what order of favorites they were. They were not satisfied with "you're ALL my favorite!" so I came up with some random order and my oldest (who was ranked third that particular time) said, "At least I'm not last!" It was so funny that it's been brought up and quoted many times. And that was also when I told them that none of them were really last because they were all my favorites and if they wanted to be ranked it was always changing based on who was in need of my attention at a given moment. 

Of course we don't actually play favorites! As parents we have always known that playing favorites isn't beneficial, but practically speaking we humans are not truly capable of giving our full attention 24/7 to any one person - even if we only have one child! So only one can be foremost in our attention at times. Practically speaking, we have more interests in common with one family member or friend than with others, or just have more to talk about with one person than another. The baby of the family, the oldest, the only son in a family of daughters, or the only daughter in a family of sons . . . all of these may seem to be a favorite despite any parent's best efforts to be fair, and despite everyone knowing that all are deeply and equally loved. 

So yes, all my kids are my favorites. Which can't be logically explained but I suspect other moms know what I mean. It's a little picture of how we can all be God's favorites too. And God absolutely IS capable of giving his complete attention to each one who needs him without taking his attention and favor away from anyone else. 

A favorite is a person who has special favor. God delights to show favor to all his children, but he doesn't show favoritism.

For God does not show favoritism.

~Romans 2:11~

I mean, really. It doesn't get any clearer than that. God doesn't show favoritism. And yet throughout the Old Testament, we see stories of God showing favor to certain people - Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and others. They ask God for his favor. In the New Testament, the angel greets Mary calling her a "highly favored one" and there are other mentions of earning favor or asking for favor. But as graciously and abundantly as God shows favor, he does not show favoritism. And we mustn't either.

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.

~James 2:1~

You are God's favorite. So am I. Even when it doesn't feel like it during our times of sorrow or despair and things not going our way, we can count on God's favor if we are his children. He always gives us his full attention. Even when he disciplines us, it is because he loves us. And nothing can take his favor away from us.

Sing the praises of the LORD,

you his faithful people: praise his holy name.

For his anger lasts only a moment,

but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may stay for the night,

but rejoicing comes in the morning.

~Psalm 30:4-5~

Any day spent with you is my favorite day. So today is my new favorite day. ~A.A. Milne

This post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2023 challenge here: Write Something Somewhere

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